Shoe with elastic upper

ABSTRACT

A shoe comprises a molded plastic sole having an upstanding edge defining a perimeter of the sole and extending generally normally to a bottom section and an upper member formed of a sock like woven elastic fabric having a first modulus of elasticity and a foot receiving opening adhered to the inside of the sole and the upstanding edge. The woven upper member has a foot receiving opening bordered by an elastic binding which has a greater modulus of elasticity than that of the sole. A pair of elastic fabric straps having a greater modulus of elasticity than the sole have their opposed ends secured to spaced points on opposite sides of the foot opening so as to extend across the foot opening.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to casual shoes formed with molded plastic solesand elastic uppers so as to closely conform to the wearer's foot.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Girls and women often wear casual shoes that are easy to slip on and offsuch as flip flops and the like. Flip flops, however, give no protectionto the upper part of the foot and their thong-type engagement with thefoot may abrade the contact points with the foot, such as between thetoes, to produce skin abrasions. Moreover, their flat soles providelittle support for the arch of the foot or the like.

Modern mass production processes enable the low-cost production of easyto slip on shoes for casual wear that overcome these problems.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is therefore directed toward a casual, low-costshoe that is easy to slip on, closely conforms to feet over a range ofsizes, provides good arch support for the foot, and is aestheticallyattractive.

A preferred embodiment of the invention, which will subsequently bedisclosed in detail, employs a molded plastic sole formed of a resilientplastic such as polyethylene, PVC, etc., contoured along its length toprovide a raised arch. The sole preferably has a tread design on itsbottom side to improve traction of the shoe. The sole has an upstandinglip extending along its perimeter and at the forward end of the sole thetop of the lip extends rearwardly, so as to protect the toes of awearer.

An upper member formed of a woven elastic fabric having a sock-likeconfiguration and a foot-receiving opening is adhered to the upper sideof the sole and the inner sides of the upstanding side walls such that afoot-receiving opening in the upper member projects upwardly away fromthe sole.

An elastic binding is secured along the edge of the foot-receivingopening. A pair of elastic fabric straps each have their opposed endssecured to the binding at spaced points on opposite sides of the footopening so as to extend across the foot opening. Preferably, the ends ofthe elastic straps are secured to such points on the binding as to allowthe straps to cross one another from points adjacent to the foot openingnearest the toe section of the sole to a more rearwardly section.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention the elastic fabric fromwhich the upper member is woven has a relatively low modulus ofelasticity and is accordingly easily deformed by stress. The elasticbinding has a greater modulus of elasticity than the fabric of the upperand the pair of elastic straps preferably also has a lower modulus ofelasticity than the fabric forming the upper. A foot may easily beinserted into the shoe from behind the crossed straps so as to stretchthe straps and the upper fabric so that it closely conforms to the footof the wearer. The resiliency of the upper fabric and of the crossedstraps securely retains the shoe to the user's foot in a verycomfortable manner. A separate insole conforming to the interior of theupstanding edge of the sole may be inserted over the sole.

The resulting shoe may be manufactured from low-cost materials in ahighly efficient manner; the shoe is very comfortable to wear and longlasting.

The section of the upper which extends above the sole portion preferablybears a pattern which renders the shoe even more attractive.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other objects, advantages, and applications of the present inventionwill be made apparent by the following detailed description of apreferred embodiment of the invention. The description makes referenceto the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view from the forward side and top of a shoerepresenting a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side view of the shoe of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a front view of the shoe;

FIG. 4 illustrates the side opposite to FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 represents the rear of the shoe;

FIG. 6 represents the top of the shoe;

FIG. 7 represents a longitudinal cross section through the shoe; and

FIG. 8 is an exploded view of the sole and upper of the shoe before thetwo are adhered together.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to the drawings, a preferred embodiment of the inventioncomprises a plastic injected molded sole, generally indicated at 10, andan elastic upper, generally indicated at 12. In a preferred embodimentof the invention PVC is used, but a variety of polymers such aspolyethylene, polyester, polyurethane, epoxy resins, and the like may beemployed. Any injection moldable plastic may be used.

The sole 10 has a bottom section 12 preferably formed with a pattern ofribs or the like, usually extending laterally across the width of thesole, such as the ribs 16 visible in FIG. 2. These ribs add to thetraction of the shoe against a walking surface. The sole is bounded onits perimeter by an upstanding side wall 18 at the toe section 20. Atthe top of the toe section 20 the side wall 18 bends downwardly andrearwardly to form a toe cap. At its rear end, the side wall 18 israised in height relative to the balance of the side wall at 22.

The sole 10 has an upwardly extending bulge across its width, betweenthe heel section and the toe section, to create an arch support section.

The upper section 12, before it is inserted into the sole 10 andattached to the bottom 24 of the sole, is illustrated in FIG. 8. It isformed of a sock-like section 26 woven from an elastic fabric. The sock26 has a forward truncated area 28 and it has a central foot opening 30bounded by a binding 32. The binding is preferably sewn about theperimeter of the foot opening 30 and is preferably formed of an elasticfabric which has a lower modulus of elasticity than the sock section 26.Accordingly, when a foot is inserted into the sock-like structure 26,after it is adhered to the sole 10, the binding 32 will firmly engagethe top section of the wearer's foot.

The woven sock 26, in its unattached form, preferably has an elongationpercentage of in excess of 80 percent, and preferably of about 100percent, all within its elastic limit so that the recovery percentage ofelongation is substantially 100 percent. In its unattached andunstretched form, the length of the sock 26 may be approximately 60percent of the length of the sole. Accordingly, in the process ofadhering the sock 26 to the interior surface of the sole 24 and theinterior surfaces of the upstanding edge 18, the sock 26 must bestretched on a suitable form or last into intimate contact with thesurfaces to which it is to be adhered.

The sock may be adhered to the sole using any form of adhesive, butpreferably a hot melt adhesive using a thermoplastic synthetic polymericadhesive. For example, the process disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,278,959might be employed. Alternatively, cold adhesives such as two-partpolyurethane or epoxy resins can be employed.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention a pair of elastic straps 40and 42 may be sewn to the binding 32 and possibly the immediatelyadjacent section of the fabric 26, with the opposing ends of the strapbeing attached to points on the opposite sides of the foot opening 30 sothat the straps extend across the width of the resulting shoe. In thepreferred embodiment illustrated, the straps are connected to thebinding 32 in such a way that they cross over the center of the footopening. They are preferably positioned toward the forward end of theshoe so that the wearer's foot may be inserted behind the straps 40 and42.

The straps 40 and 42 are preferably formed of a woven material having ahigher modulus of elasticity than the material of the sock 26.Preferably, the straps 40 and 42 are formed of a fabric having anelongation percentage of 5 to 15 percent. Accordingly, they firmlyengage the surface of a foot inserted into the shoe and largely dependupon the elasticity of the supporting sock for any necessary elongation.After the sock 26 is adhered to the sole 10, a planar insole 48 formedof conventional materials with very little elasticity may be insertedover the underside of the sock 26.

The upper 12 is preferably formed with an aesthetically pleasing patternwhich may be woven into the fabric or imprinted thereon, such as thepolka dots 50 illustrated in FIG. 1.

1. A shoe comprising: a molded plastic sole elongated about an axis,having a bottom section and an upstanding edge defining the perimeter ofthe sole and extending generally normally to the bottom section; anupper member formed of a woven elastic fabric with a first modulus ofelasticity having a sock-like configuration and afoot-receiving opening;the upper member being adhered to the bottom and upstanding edge of thesole so that a section of the upper member incorporating thefoot-receiving opening, extending away from the sole, is not adhered tothe sole or upstanding edge; and an elastic binding having a secondmodulus of elasticity greater than the first modulus of elasticity,secured about the opening.
 2. The shoe of claim 1, further comprising apair of elastic fabric straps having a greater modulus of elasticitythan the first modulus of elasticity, each strap having its opposed endssecured to the binding at spaced points on opposite sides of the footopening so as to extend across the foot opening and the axis of thesole.
 3. The shoe of claim 1, wherein the upstanding edge of the moldedplastic sole comprises a toe cap with the top of the upstanding edgeextending toward the rear end of the sole.
 4. The shoe of claim 1,wherein the woven elastic fabric of the upper member has an elongationfactor of greater than 80 percent.
 5. The shoe of claim 1, wherein theupper member is adhered to the bottom and upstanding edge of the sole bya hot melt adhesive using a thermoplastic.
 6. The shoe of claim 1,wherein the upper member is adhered to the bottom and upstanding edge ofthe sole employing a two part cold setting adhesive.
 7. The shoe ofclaim 1, further comprising a planar insole overlying the top side ofthe section of the upper member adhered to the bottom of the sole. 8.The shoe of claim 1, wherein the upper member is woven with a decorativedesign.